<p>*I know we don't have to pay for staying in the dorms but what do we eat if there's no dining hall service? How does it work out? I am a terrible cook :[
*Also, does each course have separate fees?
*How many classes are we allowed to take?
*Can a first-year teach classes?</p>
<p>1) The dining hall plan is undergoing some changes this year, so I don't think we really know how they're going to do food this Wintersession. Last year, only the campus center dining hall was open and you had to use your "points" that you saved during 1 semester (or pay money, or cook for yourself). But again, we don't really know how it's going to work this upcoming year. </p>
<p>2) The courses don't have separate fees unless you are taking a trip abroad (unlikely; see other wintersession/study abroad thread). </p>
<p>3) I don't know how many you are allowed to take. I think of it as a one class thing, but I don't know if that's a rule or what. </p>
<p>4) I don't really know what you mean by this. Wintersession courses are formal courses compressed into a very short period. I've never heard of a student teaching any sort of course (except for like, being a fitness instructor or something like that).</p>
<p>I see we have an eager beaver first year on the board!</p>
<p>Wannabeivy, I recommend taking some time and enjoying these last few weeks before orientation. I know planning ahead can sometimes be advantageous, but trust me, there will be plenty of time and opportunity to learn and get questions about Wintersession answered once you're actually on campus and fall semester is in session.</p>
<p>That being said, unless things have changed drastically (which I haven't seen any evidence) academic Wintersession courses are included in the normal tuition. There are no separate fees for the courses themselves besides what you'd have to pay for textbooks. You're "allowed" to take as many as you'd like, but realistically, you'll only want to take 1 academic course during Wintersession. Remember, it's a semester's worth of learning scrunched into 3 weeks. It's intense. I had a friend start to take Russion 101 during Wintersession but dropped out about a week or so into it - then she just hung out for the rest of the month. Every year, there are some non academic, more fun "offered" as well, taught by staff and students as well as some faculty. Past courses have dealt with the art of chocolate, knitting, beer tasting, and quilting. Obviously these are less intense and more for enjoyment. I don't think instructors for these "fun" courses are paid anything - basically people are volunteering their time to share their expertise in their subject, with usually a small fee going towards material for the "course." MIT has their IAP time that mostly overlaps with our Wintersession and they will have various academic and non academic courses as well. I took a furniture making class one year - loads of fun.</p>
<p>So I guess, conceivably, a first year could teach one of the fun, non academic courses during Wintersession if she wanted to. There'll be postings with more info once it gets closer to January.</p>
<p>The course options are pretty slim pickings, unless it's a language course. Even the half-credit courses are fairly time consuming. I wouldn't worry about not being able to cook well. Roche Bros. has enough premade food that you could go an entire Wintersession without being able to do anything more than microwave. I don't recommend that: summer and wintersessions on my own without meal plans taught me how to feed myself.</p>
<p>Okay, I might be coming in a little late here, but I need some clarification about what exactly Wintersession is. Is it around the time that some other schools have their Jan Plans or whatever they're called? Do you have to stay on campus? What do most people do during it? </p>
<p>I only recently found out about this Wintersession thing and since then I've been wondering... Thanks!</p>
<p>Yes, it's similar to Jan plans. It's not mandatory. My roommate used all four years as vacation time. First year, I went on a vacation, sophomore year I took a class, junior year, I took an off-campus trip class through MIT, and senior year, I travelled to an academic conference, and used the remaining time to work at Wellesley, take a chemistry seminar and be a bum.</p>
<p>If I go home during winter break and wintersession, when should I return to Wellesley for spring semester? Also, when do most people leave for winter break? Is there a certain day you're supposed to leave campus? </p>
<p>I know that I don't need to worry about this until a few more months, but it would be nice to book plane tickets as soon as possible.</p>